A day after deciding to release his star running back, Ray Rice, because of a video that surfaced of him punching his then fiancee in February, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti issued a letter to fans who “deserve an explanation.”

Bisciotti wrote that the decision to cut Rice “was unanimous” after he and other in the team’s front office viewed latest videotape. Bisciotti also admitted that the team fell short in its investigation of Rice and that it should have viewed the tape earlier than Monday, when it was published by TMZ Sports.

Ray Rice and his then fiancee Janay Palmer arrive at the Atlantic City Courthouse in May. (Associated Press file)

In February, a video surfaced of former Ravens running back Ray Rice dragging his out-cold fiancee out of an Atlantic City casino elevator.

In March, Rice was indicted on aggravated assault charges. A day later, he and Janay Palmer married.

In May, the couple addressed reporters for the first time since the video surfaced — Rice saying he didn’t deem himself a “failure” because “failure is getting knocked down and not getting up.” Janay also apologized for “her role”:

“I do deeply regret the role I played in that incident, but I can say we have worked through it and continue to work on our relationship, being better parents to our daughter, and being better role models for our community…I know that Ray will win back your trust.”

On Monday, a second video surfaced from the incident, this one of Rice punching Palmer while behind closed elevator doors. Hours later, the Ravens released him and the NFL suspended him indefinitely.

The Ravens released their star running back and the NFL suspended him indefinitely, hours after TMZ Sports released another tape from the elevator incident earlier this year that landed him a two-game suspension. This one showed him decking his then-fiancee, knocking her out cold before dragging her out of the elevator.

The NFL and the Ravens have spent that last few months claiming that they had not seen this other tape, though some believe otherwise:

Re Ray Rice knockout punch: I was told NFL had access to same evidence the police did when evaluating a 2-game suspension.

After the footage came out, many players, including Broncos co-captain Terrance Knighton, spoke out about the incident and the NFL’s apparent tolerance of Rice’s actions, given his measly two-game ban.

But the Ravens couldn’t get out of this one. There was no way they could spin the story and claim that Rice did not do what he did to a woman. So they released him … while still leaving this story up on their site. Should they be applauded for their move? Many, myself included, don’t think so.Read more…

Broncos co-captain Terrance Knighton called for Ray Rice to be “thrown out of the NFL and thrown into jail” in a series of tweets after previously undisclosed security footage released on Monday showed Rice throwing a left punch to the face of his then-fiancée, knocking her out cold.

Seattle Seahawks players walk off the field as a lightning delay takes effect during the first half of an NFL preseason game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

Summertime in Denver frequently means inclement weather, and Thursday night was no exception.

League officials called the Denver Broncos-Seattle Seahawks preseason game with 1:30 left in the first quarter because of severe weather within the eight-mile limit of Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos and Seahawks cleared the field and returned around 8:20 p.m., then had a mandatory 10-minute warm-up period. The game restarted at 8:30 p.m. The delay ultimately lasted 45 minutes.

If the game felt long, it’s because it was. In all, it lasted 3 hours, 47 minutes, the second longest preseason game in Denver Broncos history. The longest was a 3:58 game against Dallas on Aug. 26, 1989.

C.J. Mosley of the Alabama Crimson Tide takes the stage after he was picked No. 17 overall by the Baltimore Ravens during the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on May 8, 2014 in New York City. (Elsa, Getty Images)

No disrespect to Bradley Roby. He’s a highly talented cornerback prospect. It’s just that no team waiting until the No. 31 draft pick winds up with its first choice.

The Broncos had Virginia Tech’s Kyle Fuller right there with Roby at the top of their cornerback board. But Fuller went No. 14 to the Chicago Bears. Starting with Pittsburgh’s pick at No. 15, the Broncos then tried to trade up and get Alabama middle linebacker C.J. Mosley.

But the asking price by the Steelers at No. 15, Dallas Cowboys at No. 16 and Baltimore Ravens at No. 17 were deemed too steep. The Ravens took Mosley at No. 17 and the Broncos spent the rest of the draft hoping Roby would be there.

Fans arrive for the NFL Super Bowl XLVIII football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014, in East Rutherford, N.J. (Seth Wenig, The Associated Press)

Good afternoon, Broncos fans. IT WAS 5,481 FULL DAYS AGOthat the Denver Broncos were last here at this moment. We’re inside Metlife Stadium, where we bring you a special Super Bowl edition of the Broncos Insider Newsletter:

IN PRINT: SUPER BOWL SPECIAL SECTION: “WITHIN REACH: Peyton Manning has put together a season for the ages, shattering records in leading the highest scoring offense in NFL history. A victory Sunday in the Super Bowl can forever cement his legacy among the all-time greats.” SEE THE PAGE: http://dpo.st/1k0W2Ts

Denver Post Sunday 1A: CHAMP IN WAITING: “They call him Champ. The Broncos cornerback exudes all of the virtues of what fans desire in a champion,” writes The Denver Post’s Benjamin Hochman. “He’s cool by not acting cool. He has this aura around him, but not because he’s a self-proclaimed stud. It’s because he’s revered in football circles. It’s because he speaks softly, yet with resonance. It’s because he’s actually so humble, it’s hard to believe that someone with his talent isn’t shouting about it.

The front page of the Sunday, Dec. 2, 2014, edition of The Denver Post.

“Really, the only problem with the nickname Champ is that he’s not a champ. But, after 15 seasons in the NFL, this sure Pro Football Hall of Famer finally will play in the Super Bowl.

XLVIII (48) REASONS THE BRONCOS WILL WIN, according to Denver Post columnist Woody Paige. Among them: “V. The Broncos were penalized 183 fewer yards than Seattle in the regular season. … X. Adam Gase is creatively superior to Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. Jack Del Rio has won a Super Bowl as a coach; Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn hasn’t coached in one. … XXI. The Seahawks averaged only 23 points a game away from Seattle; the Broncos averaged 36.2 points in road games. … XL. With more than seven days to prepare, the Broncos are 6-0 this season.” Plus, Woody’s score prediction: http://dpo.st/LnfI4E

“THIS IS WHY FOOTBALL PLAYERS CRY. The Broncos arrived at the Super Bowl as a family: 53 players, one goal,” writes Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla … win or lose, when Super Bowl XLVIII is done, this family will break up. This is one last chance for this specific group of Broncos to hoist the Lombardi Trophy and grab a little piece of football immortality. […]

“The significance of my Super Bowl rings is what those rings stand for. They stand for guys putting aside their egos and their personal agendas long enough to win a championship,” said Byron Chamberlain, who won two championships during his stint from 1995-2000 as a tight end for Denver. “The most important thing for a championship team is to get all the guys to buy into one common goal of winning the Super Bowl. It’s hard to do. That’s why winning a Super Bowl is so rare.”

GAME DAY FORECAST: Sunday for East Rutherford, N.J., site of MetLife Stadium … A slight chance of showers after 11 a.m. Patchy fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 48. West wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent, according to the National Weather Service. … Sunday night: A slight chance of rain before 10 p.m., then a slight chance of rain and sleet between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m., then a chance of rain and snow after 1 a.m. Cloudy, with a low around 31. North wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent: http://1.usa.gov/1eIieKB … Per The Weather Channel, 6 p.m. will be cloud, temperature at 43 degrees (feels like 40), 20 percent chance of precipitiation, winds WNW at 5 mph.

It’s perhaps not surprising to learn that growing up in Audubon, N.J., the player he longed to emulate was Niners quarterback Joe Montana. Classy, reserved, confident and respected. And when he retired, he gave his life back to his family. To Flacco, it almost seems as if Montana belongs to a different era. No one ever questioned his leadership or complained that he didn’t scream at his receivers when they dropped catchable passes. Flacco doesn’t understand why the fact that he has a similar mentality is cited as one of his shortcomings.

Because the NFL promotes both teams for its annual Kickoff Game, the league put up signage of both the Ravens and Broncos around Sports Authority Field at Mile High and downtown Denver on Aug. 27. Along with a large poster of Peyton Manning hangs a poster of Joe Flacco on the south side of the stadium. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)

Get this. Because the NFL promotes both teams for its annual Kickoff Game, the league is putting up signage of both the Ravens and Broncos around Sports Authority Field at Mile High and downtown Denver. So if you see large posters of not only Peyton Manning, but also Joe Flacco, blame the league. If Ravens signage creates a graffiti disturbance around downtown Denver, blame the league.

Who in Denver wants to drive to work in the morning and see a reminder of Joe Flacco? I know it’s a unique situation where the defending Super Bowl champ opens on the road. But no circumstance will change the fact Denver belongs to the Broncos.

The Broncos issued the following statement Monday on Twitter about signage:

The Broncos’ preseason schedule was released last week. The NFL is expected to announce its 2013 regular-season schedule next Tuesday, April 16.

For the Broncos, the greatest intrigue is with their opener. A league-opening, Thursday night playoff rematch against the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 5 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High is a possibility. But nothing is finalized and several other possibilities are in play, from opening at home on a Sunday afternoon, to primetime Sunday night on the road, to Monday night at home.

At the NFL owners meetings last month, multiple Ravens sources said they had been told opening in Denver for the traditional Thursday night, Week 1 opener would be the most likely scenario if they could not work out an arrangement with the baseball Baltimore Orioles. Baseball and the Orioles, who open a four-game series that night against the Chicago White Sox, could not accommodate and because there is a conflict with parking spaces, the Ravens will have to open on the road.Read more…

Baltimore Ravens new defensive end Elvis Dumervil, center, looks at his new jersey with coach John Harbaugh, right, and inside linebacker coach Don Martindale by his side during an NFL football news conference Tuesday, March 26, 2013, in Owings Mills, Md.

I have the details to the five-year contract Elvis Dumervil signed with the Baltimore Ravens.

And upon closer inspection, Dumervil wasn’t fibbing when he said it wasn’t about the money.

Let’s compare the Ravens’ contract to the Broncos offer. First the Ravens:

Tom Condon, the agent for the NFL stars, represents three of the four free-agent pass-rushing defensive ends who are currently in play.

Condon represents Elvis Dumervil, most recently with the Broncos, the New York Giants’ Osi Umenyiora and the Indianapolis Colts’ Dwight Freeney. The fourth, Atlanta’s John Abraham, is represented by Tony Agnone/Rich Rosa.

The Broncos first choice is to re-sign Dumervil back, but they are visiting as I type with Freeney and later today with Abraham. They have not expressed much interest in Umenyiora because of his asking price.

DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, has asked for an inquiry into the tardy exchange of contract documents that led the Broncos to release defensive end Elvis Dumervil. The union has retained lawyers to look into possible remedies.

The Broncos released Dumervil on Friday because paperwork of his revised contract that included a 2013 salary cut from $12 million to $8 million was not filed by the 2 p.m. deadline.

There is history of the union coming through for a player in such an instance. A paperwork gaffe occurred to Terrell Owens in 2004 and the league and NFLPA wound up allowing T.O. to have his way.

With the two New York teams hosting the Super Bowl next year, and the Broncos in the process of bidding on the Super Bowl for the years 2018, 2019 or 2020, I asked Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco if he had an opinion on playing the league’s ultimate game in a “cold-weather” venue.

“Yeah, I think it’s retarded,” Flacco said at his Super Bowl press gathering Monday. “I probably shouldn’t say that. I think it’s stupid. If you want a Super Bowl, put a retractable dome on your stadium. Then you can get one. Other than that I don’t really like the idea. I don’t think people would react very well to it, or be glad to play anybody in that kind of weather.”

In Mike Klis’ Broncos Mailbag on Wednesday, he mentioned that Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh will bring his team to Denver as late as possible this week. He hopes that will minimize the effects of Denver’s altitude.

Mike Klis has been with The Denver Post since 1998, after working 13 years with the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. Major League Baseball was Klis' initial passion. He started covering the Colorado Rockies after Coors Field was approved for construction in August 1990.

Nicki Jhabvala is the Sports Digital News Editor for The Denver Post. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor, and she was most recently the overnight home page editor at the New York Times. She has reported regularly on the Broncos since joining the staff.

A published author and award-winning journalist, Benjamin Hochman is a sports columnist for The Denver Post. He previously worked on the staff of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, winners of two Pulitzer Prizes for their Hurricane Katrina coverage.